Electric Department

The Electric Department was established in 1896 to provide electricity to the Village of Portland. Its function is to provide low cost electricity to Portland and Portland Township safely and reliably. It operates and maintains a Diesel Generator Plant, Hydro Plant, sub-stations and overhead / underground power lines, plus all trucks and equipment to accomplish this. It helps attract residential homes / business / industry to the area using low cost energy. Maintaining and installing street lights saves taxpayers money as well as making the community safe and attractive after dark.

Electric Service

The Electric Department is open Monday - Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you need assistance regarding a power outage please call the Electric Department at 517-647-6912 or City Hall at 517-647-3205 (Monday- Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

If you need assistance regarding a power outage after normal business hours please call Ionia County Central Dispatch at 616-527-0400.

As widely reported, the City of Portland is in the process of exploring the feasibility of offering broadband internet to our residents under the purview of our Electric Department and the Board of Light and Power. By virtue of having our own municipal electric department and underground utilities, the City has certain advantages that other communities may not have when considering broadband internet services – this includes available underground conduit for the fiber and underutilized existing fiber owned by the City. Based on a recommendation from the City Manager, City Council approved a study (see the link below) that demonstrated strong financial models that indicated such a project is highly feasible. This is not simply about offering state of the art internet to our residents and businesses, but also provides a foundation to support smart city concepts and technology in our city services and beyond. Our goal will be to provide the same reliable service our residents have come to expect from the Board of Light & Power and the City of Portland.

The next step involves validating the “take-rate” and overall resident interest through a statistically valid survey conducting by a professional organization. In light of robocalls, phone and email scams, we wanted to inform our residents that such a survey will be taking place in the weeks to come and that it is in fact legitimate. Residents may be contacted via email, phone or by mail. Should you have any questions, please contact the City Manager, Tutt Gorman at (517) 647-2931 or Email

​Elective Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is electricity that comes from sources that produce little or no emissions by using resources that replenish themselves by using resources that replenish themselves naturally, such as wind, sunlight, biomass (agricultural waste), geothermal, waves and landfill gas.

​You can contribute to making our community a greener place by choosing to have a portion of your electricity generated by renewable sources at a cost of $.01 per kwh. The Board of Light & Power is now offering elective renewable energy for all customers.